I’ve been meaning to write about this for a few days but it has taken me a few beers to get in the right frame of mind for a proper rant. This article brings to light many issues I’ve had with graduating with an art degree, though it certainly can apply to most creative disciplines (music, creative writing, etc.):
As many undergraduates fret about graduation, at least one subculture of students in the expensive college landscape is exuding a decidedly morose state of mind: art students. Like many undergrads seeking specialized humanities degrees, student artists wonder what viable place they can occupy in a tightening economy, which now is luring young people into more stable careers in government, the sciences, health care or consulting.
Whoops, you chose the wrong career path!
“Are these prints going to be hard to sell?” Perkins said she asked herself one day inside the studio. “I’d like to think they wouldn’t be, but it’s such a basic topic, and they don’t really teach you these things. That’s what makes me mad. If I wanted to sell it, what are the steps you go about to sell it? Who are the people you go to, and what are the things you say to them?”
Fortunately services such as Etsy now exist where a budding artist can market and sell their work with low overhead and minimal fees. But, speaking from experience, it’s still tough to get your work seen and even harder to make sales. (And making a living… good luck.)
But this is the key paragraph that REALLY ticked me off:
Perkins’s professor, Dennis O’Neil, chairman of Corcoran’s fine arts department, said he wants to start a course in the fall that will teach self-marketing skills. “Knowing how to write a grant, how to talk to a curator, how to put together an exhibition, how to write and speak about it — these skills are critical for an artist. But somehow we haven’t done it” as part of the curriculum, he said. “Now we’re putting it in place.”
“OKAY SORRY ABOUT NOT PREPARING YOU FOR THE REAL WORLD WITH PRACTICAL ABILITIES BUT NOW WE’RE IMPLEMENTING THESE ESSENTIAL SKILLS AFTER YOU’VE GRADUATED GOOD LUCK WITH LIFE!”
Yes, thanks a student loanful. Of course I’m sure one could take a course in marketing and selling one’s art for the bargain price of $800/credit hour. Viva la educación!
